In a recent editorial Mr. Mike Roark of the Courier staff chastised the Russellville City Council for tabling until January the issue of the Walmart Neighborhood Market proposed for Vancouver Avenue. At the end of the piece Mr. Roark encouraged readers to send in letters of their own telling how they feel about this non-action on the part of the Council.

I look forward to reading those responses. But unlike Mike Roark I believe that readers need to know the whole story while they form their opinions.

First, because the petitioners filed this rezoning petition as a PUD, specific details can and must be addressed as a whole. These can be as detailed as the hours that large trucks can be unloaded and who pays for the traffic signal that will be required at Vancouver and West Main.

About 40 minutes before the Regular Council meeting was to begin I was handed a revised list of new details regarding sidewalks, street extensions, etc. I read pretty well, but on issues that will affect the City of Russellville for decades into the future I take my time in deliberation. At least more than 40 minutes.

I don’t feel like we cheated the petitioners or the citizens for taking 30 days more to process the new information when THEY were the party that pulled this item off the August agenda and took four months to get the petition to their liking.

Second, this action is in the form of an Ordinance. Council rules of procedure dictate that an Ordinance be read at three successive meetings before it is voted on. There would have been no actual vote on December 21. Yes, Council can vote to “suspend the rules” and read one time. We actually do that quite often in the interest of moving items of business along.

But the current members have a clear and consistent record of NOT suspending those rules on issues that will have a major impact on this city far into the future. Especially when the issue is as equally and passionatly divided as this. A record well known to media persons that actually attend Council meetings on a regular basis.

At the end of Mr. Roark’s editorial it took little in the way of perceptive powers to realize that I was supposed to feel like I had been part of something cowardly and irresposible — I do not. But then, I know the facts.

Randy Horton

Russellville

Editor’s note: Randy Horton is a member of the Russellville City Council.

No to proposed Walmart rezoning

I oppose rezoning the Carpenter property to allow Wal-Mart to build a 42,000-square-foot store on south Vancouver Avenue.

If constructed, this store will be the fourth Walmart building in Russellville. Walmart already has abandoned two buildings on East Main Street, one of which is now vacant. If history is a reliable predictor of future behavior, Walmart will not hesitate to abandon a Vancouver Avenue building in the future, for whatever reason.

Also, if the Vancouver property is rezoned, the property to the immediate west of the Walmart site could be rezoned to further commercialize South Vancouver. A developer might want to put in a convenience store or Walmart might propose a gasoline station, further degrading the residential character of the area.

Traffic on South Vancouver will be congested. Walmart has announced 60 to 90 large supply trucks will travel to and from the store monthly when it opens for business. In addition, the Walmart construction plan reflects parking spaces for about 180 customer vehicles. Vancouver Avenue and adjoining streets are not designed to accommodate this volume of traffic nor is this usage contained in the city strategic street plan.

When the city zones property residential (R-1), homeowners have the right to expect the city to honor that decision and not pull the rug out from under them with rezoning after they have invested in their homes in the area.

The benefit of another Walmart store in Russellville is marginal at best. Allowing this project to proceed in the face of strong opposition from residents of adjoining neighborhoods who relied on the city’s R-1 zoning would be poor treatment indeed. The opposition to rezoning has made itself clear at Planning Commission meetings and was prepared to do so at the last City Council meeting before the issue was tabled.

A Walmart store is inappropriate for this neighborhood and jeopardized the investment of many homeowners who stand to see the value of their properties diminished by an undesirable and for the most part unwanted hulking presence.

In truth, the proposed Walmart store is not about providing needed goods and services to under served customers. We already have two large grocery stored and several pharmacies on West Main Street. This proposal is part of a nation-wide Walmart marketing strategy to fill niche markets and take away customers from other established retailers in the area.

Right thinking people favor orderly growth and development as well as creation of new jobs. However, the location of a Walmart store on South Vancouver Avenue does not seem to fit this parameter. If Walmart wants to build another store in Russellville, there are several nice locations on West D Parkway, which contains no high-density residential areas and is perfectly suited to accommodate the facility Wal-Mart has proposed to the city.

I strongly urge the City Council to continue the existing R-1 zoning which has been in effect on the Carpenter property and South Vancouver Avenue for many years and on which many taxpayer-citizens relied when they purchased or built homes in the area.

John Bynum

Russellville

Be safe

Unfortunately, there is an unsavory element in our society. These characters will steal from a residence.

If you give yourself or a loved-one a gift contained within a carton, please do not place that carton outside your home for the refuse personnel to haul off. It is an open invitation to this unsavory element to target your residence for theft. TV, home entertainment center, washer, dryer, refrigerator, etc.